


One Little 'Yes'

by PhoenyxNova



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Croatoan/Endverse (Supernatural), Alternate Universe - Reverse, Angel Sam Winchester, Hunter Gabriel (Supernatural), M/M, One Shot, angel!Sam, human!Gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-20 15:04:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19994197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenyxNova/pseuds/PhoenyxNova
Summary: The Archangel Samael finds the world has ended, and finds that Lucifer is possessing the hunter, Gabriel.





	One Little 'Yes'

It had been four years. Four of the longest, most painful years in Gabriel’s short life. The last time he’d seen Samael, he’d sacrificed himself to save a human’s life. It didn’t take long for him to turn around and make the worst decision he’d ever made, and it was one that replayed in his head every time his body’s eyes closed.

Control was no longer his. His body now belonged to the Adversary. Lucifer used his skin to bring about the end of times, and Gabriel watched every second of it. Every drop of blood was on his hands. 

Lucifer spent his time these days shaping the Earth to what he believed it should be. A paradise. A Heaven away from Heaven. Without the humans to poison this creation, it could finally be perfect. 

One day he felt a familiar Grace. One he hadn’t felt in the last few years. He was excited to see his little brother again, though he honestly doubted the sentiment would be returned. He let his own Grace radiate out, painting the Horn on the nearest wall as a beacon to announce his whereabouts. 

It was about time for a reunion, though Gabriel prayed Samael wouldn’t come. He didn’t want him to see him like this. 

Samael had returned home, only to find the world had ended in his absence.

Ever since Raphael had banished him to another reality, he’d fought endlessly, struggling through pain and misery, all in the hopes he would find his way back home. Back to his brothers, back to the hunters he guarded, back to… back to Gabriel.

He’d imagined a thousand possible scenarios, some good, some bad, some nightmarish—he _hadn’t_ thought of this one. He hadn’t thought of Lucifer destroying humanity, reshaping the Earth, and all the other angels fleeing. He’d worked so long and hard with Gabriel to keep him from saying ‘yes’, he…

Well, it didn’t matter now, did it? It was too late for all that.

He felt Lucifer’s Grace reaching out; felt the soft, attractive hum of the Horn calling him. It was a reunion which couldn’t be avoided, not anymore. He stretched his wings and flew to the source.

Samael opened his eyes, taking in the sight of his big brother wearing the human he loved. Or was Gabriel even there anymore?

“Hello, Lucifer,” he said, his voice soft and heavy with grief. Softer, hesitant, he continued. “Hello, Gabriel…" He shut his eyes, pained. “Is he there? Can he hear me?”

Lucifer smirked, taking a couple of sauntering steps toward his little brother. “Hello, little brother.” He stopped a few feet away from the younger angel, sickly sweet smile hiding the indescribable pain his vessel felt.

_Sam, please. Please leave. I’m sorry._

Samael shut his eyes, turning away to hide the tears clouding his eyes. He had no words to describe the anguish rippling through his very spirit.

“I missed you, brother,” he said quietly, turning back to face the other angel. “I truly did. I am glad to see you again, but….” Seeing that familiar face with such different expressions and mannerisms… it felt all wrong. “But I missed Gabriel, too.”

“Gabriel is here,” Lucifer said. “I’d let you speak to him, but I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Inside their head, Gabriel was screaming. All he wanted was to reach out and assure Sam that he’d take all this back if he could.

He shook his head. “You _can_ let him speak,” Samael argued. “If I could do it with my vessel when he was still with me, you can do it with Gabriel.” He paused, staring directly into their eyes.

“It is all right, Gabriel,” he said. “I… I am here.” Even if the hunter couldn’t respond, it only mattered that Samael try to reassure him. 

Lucifer stepped toward Samael, pausing with only the slightest hesitation. He thought he’d stamped down Gabriel’s will over these last few years. It caught him by surprise that he was putting up a struggle, but it was nothing he couldn’t deal with.

He offered his little brother a smile and reached a hand out to him. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. If I gave him the ability, he would eject me, and I’ve come too far to allow that to happen. I can assure you, however, that he is quite well.”

But Gabriel wasn’t well. These years had been Hell for him, crammed inside his own mind, being forced to watch the decline of humanity. His own brother was nowhere to be found, and the angel he loved would have no idea how much he cared. 

Samael nearly hissed, his anguish shadowing his face. “We are supposed to care for our vessels, not enslave them!” he growled, his eyes narrow. “You’ve achieved your goals here. Please free Gabriel!” He glanced away, overwhelmed, all the bite vanishing from his voice.

“I would do _anything_ , brother,” he said quietly, turning back and slowly taking his hand. “I missed you, Lucifer, I _did_. You took care of me when all the other archangels hated me. You taught me so much that I know. I do love you, brother.”

But there were no other humans left that Samael had found, and even if a remnant remained, none of them could possibly host an archangel. Lucifer would likely consent to nothing without a vessel.

“Wait,” he said, squeezing his brother’s hand. “What if you… what if you took my vessel?” he asked, desperately hoping. “It is empty. The soul inside passed long ago. It is powerful and strong, and you would find it to your liking. You only need _my_ consent to take it.”

He brought his other hand to close over Lucifer’s, clasping tightly. “If Gabriel consents, I will take him as a vessel. If not, I will make one of my own.” He lifted his eyes, meeting Lucifer’s stare. “I will follow you in whatever task you require of me. I will swear my loyalty to you. Please, brother…. Please free him.” 

Lucifer shook his head. “Samael, I would burn through your vessel in a matter of days. We both know Gabriel is the only one that can contain me.” 

He recoiled, but in the slightest, most subtle way imaginable. Gabriel was clawing his way to the surface, begging for a chance to say something to Samael. Anything. The chance to feel his own hand touching that of the angel he adored. Even if he could only regain control long enough to crack one more joke before he was choked down into submission again, he just wanted the satisfaction of knowing he’d had his last words with Sam.

Lucifer was less keen on the idea. His lip twitched in a snarl, knowing precisely what Gabriel was trying to do. His vessel no longer had the will to eject him, and he wanted to keep it that way.

“Brother, you talk as though there is still a war. I’ve won. Michael lost. I fought for your free will. All I wanted in return was the use of my true vessel.”

“Indeed. You were victorious, brother.”

Samael hung his head, unsure of what to do or even what to say. He knew no way to force Lucifer out of Gabriel. If he could obtain a ‘yes’ from Gabriel himself, Samael could possess him and fight his older brother for control of the vessel. However, two archangels in Gabriel at once would burn his body to ashes, and Samael didn’t even know what the damage to his soul might be. If Gabriel could eject Lucifer on his own, he likely would have done so already.

“I am sorry, Gabriel,” he murmured, unable to meet those familiar eyes wearing a too-wrong smirk and with all the wrong mannerisms. “If Raphael had not banished me, if… if I had found a way back sooner, you might not have said ‘yes.’ Forgive me. Your pain is my fault.”

Samael lifted his head, meeting his older brother’s calm stare. He’d never actually fought against Lucifer—he’d been banished long before that ever happened. But he had tried to hide Gabriel and Castiel, to keep the both of them from saying ‘yes’ to his brothers, and he knew that could not have gone over well with either Lucifer or Michael. But now none of that mattered. The angels had all left, and humanity had been all but eliminated.

Lucifer likely did not have any use for Samael, either. And his older brother was tenfold as powerful as he was. If Lucifer wanted to overpower him, he’d easily accomplish it. And for that matter, Samael already knew he could never strike back when Gabriel still lived inside the body.

“Let me have Gabriel’s soul,” he asked—begged. “If you will not release his body, then let me have his soul. Please, brother. You’ll retain use of your true vessel, and Gabriel will be free. And I will fly far away and bother you no more if that is your wish.”

Lucifer laughed for a few moments before letting his laughter fade. “You were serious? Samael, I’m afraid I’m going to have to say no.” He paced calmly over to a nearby rosebush, extending his grace to one of the buds to cause it to bloom.

He seemed quite aware of his too-wrong mannerisms, and he made full use of just how wrong everything was. He kept his posture straight and proud, his eyes holding a glimmer of smug self-satisfaction that was rarely seen in the golden orbs. 

“I cannot understand your loyalty for this human, Samael. He barely lasted a week after you disappeared. He came crawling to me, begging me to take him as a vessel. He’s far weaker than you gave him credit for." 

He glanced over at his younger brother, eyebrow quirked. His lips tugged into an almost mocking smirk. “Oh, brother mine. What would you do if you had his soul? Carry it in your vessel until you found an empty carcass somewhere on this miserable marble? A far worse punishment than leaving him with me, I would imagine.”

He turned his shoulders to face Sam, arms clasped behind his back. “What is this loyalty you have for this sad, desperate abomination? You used to be so aloof toward the humans’ existence. Yet, you come all this way for this one mortal. Why?”

Samael glanced away, the skin of his vessel flushing red with his anguish. “I do not care whether he lasted an hour or a decade. Gabriel will never be weak in my eyes.” He paused, meeting his brother’s stare. “And yes, I would carry his soul with me, where I can be assured he is safe and free of torment. And I would never cease in attempting to take him to Heaven—as _you_ should have done when you possessed him.” He smiled minutely, tiling his head. “As far as punishing him, I wonder who he would rather carry his soul: you or I?”

He stared at Lucifer’s back, absorbing the agonizingly strange sight of his hands clasped neatly behind his back, his spine rigid and stiff. “Our true vessels are _not_ ‘sad, desperate abominations.’ They are _treasures_ of the highest order, made just for us by our Father himself, and they _deserve_ our respect. If you think Gabriel despicable, then why do you persist in possessing him?”

His eyes settled upon the crimson of the rose, the stem beneath it speckled with thorns. “I came for Gabriel because… because I love him.” He paused a beat, worrying his lower lip. “I did not tell him before when I had the opportunity, but since Raphael banished me I’ve had more than enough time to realize what a mistake I had made by remaining silent.” He steadied himself, and tried to prepare for anything. “Say what you will brother, but I love Gabriel. I will never cease in my attempts to ensure the well-being of his soul.” 

Lucifer’s brow furrowed, almost trying to process what he was hearing. He let out a cold laugh. There was nothing Samael said that he didn’t find amusing in some way. 

“Do you understand what you’re saying, brother? I remember a day the Archangels would kill any angel that took a human vessel to find love. I remember having to watch angels fall to me because Heaven would no longer accept them. I seem to remember you being on the righteous side of that struggle, and now you are no better than those you killed and watched die.”

Gabriel began to struggle again. He was screaming for Lucifer to let him talk, but the angel wasn’t listening. His pleas were falling on deaf ears, and Lucifer was grinning using _his_ lips. 

“I don’t think you understand how much demon blood he had to drink in order for him to stay in tact when I took him. His soul is tarnished. He can no longer go to Heaven, Samael. He belongs to me now, no matter where his soul goes. No matter what details he may change, he will always end up right … here.”

Samael watched as Lucifer spoke, as he moved Gabriel’s hands in strange ways and his lips curled in too-wrong smirks and his eyes lit with smugness Gabriel had never had. What could Samael even say? What could he hope to accomplish? Lucifer had Gabriel, and unless Gabriel found a way to eject him, he would get keep him lest Samael kill the both of them.

Samael stared straight into his eyes, hoping the human underneath would realize his tearful, soft gaze was meant for _him_. “I do not care how much demon blood he drank. I do not care if he drank so much he morphed into a demon and it is all that flows through his veins anymore. I do not care what other angels would think, or humanity, or even our Father. No matter what they might say, he is not tarnished. Gabriel will _never_ be anything less than a treasure in my eyes,” Samael said softly. Samael wasn’t speaking to Lucifer, not really, but to the human beneath. “There is no place I would not go to find him, in Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, or elsewhere.”

Samael had never known what Gabriel felt, and likely never would. He imagined he’d remained a good friend to the hunter… and perhaps, if Samael were fortunate, Gabriel might have thought the archangel as a good battle companion of sorts. Samael never held much hope his feelings were ever returned, and it didn’t matter, not now. Love or not, Samael would never stop fighting to free him.

“I have made many mistakes, brother,” Samael admitted. “But I know this. I freely admit it. I was wrong in many stances. You, on the other hand, have never once admitted your own sins.”

Samael narrowed his eyes, attempting to see the state of the soul hidden underneath his brother’s Grace. Lucifer seemed to block him somehow, however, and the younger archangel frowned. He would boost Gabriel up, tell him to fight, if only he knew Gabriel had any strength left to do so. 

“Laugh at me all you wish,” he huffed. “Mock me, bring me to my knees, wound me… Do what you wish. But do not delude yourself: Gabriel is _not_ yours. He belongs to no one but himself, and himself alone." 

Lucifer shook his head, looking almost disappointed in his little brother. “Samael, you are quite wrong.” The amusement was gone from his eyes, the emotion now replaced with something resembling sadness. Whether that was the angel or the soul clawing his way into control, however, was anyone’s guess. 

“I have admitted my sins.” He returned to tending his rosebush, a simple enough distraction that perhaps he wouldn’t have to reveal any weakness such as human emotion. “Confessed to Michael and Father Himself. I have served my time, and now I walk the Earth.”

He turned to look at his little brother again. “Tell me, Samael. You love this human. I loved Father. He told us to put humans before each other. Before Him. Why is it so wrong that I could not do so? Why is it a sin to see the humans for what they are? They were created broken, and I was locked up for trying to fix them.”

As he turned his attention once again to the rosebush, he managed to tamp down Gabriel’s struggles for control. “We are not so different, you and I. We loved too well. At least your love was returned.” 

Golden orbs flicked back to the larger form nearby, that all-too-wrong smirk tugging at his lip again.

Beneath the surface, Gabriel was screaming. Why couldn’t he be the one to say it? The one thing he’d regretted was that he couldn’t tell Sam he loved him, and now Lucifer was threatening to take even that away from him. He couldn’t stand by and let it happen. He worked up all his strength and…

“SAM!” Gabriel stumbled forward into the rosebush, shocked at himself that he managed to move his own body. He looked up at Samael, far too afraid to move near him. What if this was just another trick? Another torture devised to give him the illusion of strength before he was crammed back into that cage in his mind? For all he knew, this wasn’t real anyway.

He took a cautious step forward. Everything felt real enough. The shift of weight on his feet, his hair brushing against his forehead, the slightest breeze on his cheeks, Samael’s unforgettable scent. He took a moment to feel his lungs take in air and let it out slowly before taking another step. 

“Sam, I’m so sorry.”

Samael blinked in surprise. His love was returned? But did that mean…?

He did not get an opportunity to dwell on it. A moment later, his brother’s smirk vanished as Gabriel pitched forward, shouting his name. Samael was stunned, but only for a moment. He vaguely registered that Gabriel had apologized, but he ignored it entirely in favor of action. If Gabriel had truly taken control, and this were no trick…

He surged forward, dragging him into his arms. “Gabriel,” he breathed, embracing him. “I fought every day to return to you. I… I am sorry I was banished. I am sorry I left you all alone.” He pressed his face into immaculate, golden hair. “I love you. I am sorry I never told you before.”

He pulled away, gripping his shoulders. “Fight, Gabriel. Revoke your consent _now_ , while you have your voice! Tell Lucifer he no longer has your permission. Tell him to leave, and he must!”

Samael looked on, heart beating fast within his vessel. His eyes were hopeful, but he feared it all to be a trick. What if it were Lucifer merely pretending to be Gabriel?

“I will take you somewhere safe,” he said, squeezing gently. “And I will never leave your side again. But you must _fight_. I know you have the strength. Eject Lucifer now!”

Gabriel dissolved into tears, clinging to Samael as though his life depended on it. As far as he knew, it may as well have. “I can’t,” he said, voice cracking under all the pain he’d been put through. “I’ve been trying since you walked into this fucking garden. I’ve been trying since the virus hit overseas. I’ve been trying for years, Sam, and I can’t do it.”

He looked up at him, trembling, tears falling steadily down his cheeks. “I’m sorry, Sam. I’m not strong enough. I just wanted the chance to tell you…” He choked on his words, half terrified that Samaels’ confession earlier was only because Lucifer tricked him into saying it. “Sam, I’m in love with you. I have been since we met, and it took your disappearance for me to realize it.”

“You _can_!” Samael nearly shouted, grasping Gabriel’s face between his hands. “Even now you have pushed him down! All it takes is power of will, Gabriel! Tell him to leave and he must!”

He wiped away his tears with his thumbs, palms and fingers soothing his trembling skin. “Gabriel, I love you, and no matter what, I will not leave you. Not now, not ever.” His heart beating quickly, he quickly lowered his lips to his beloved’s, kissing him as though it would be the only kiss they’d ever share—and it might well be, if Gabriel could not eject him.

He pressed his forehead to his human’s, tears streaming from his own eyes. “Wait,” he breathed, eyes clearing. “I may be able to help you.” It was a wild chance, a desperate gambit, but…

“Say ‘yes’ to me, Gabriel. I can possess you and help you eject Lucifer from the inside.” He gripped his face, thumbs stroking his cheek. “You may not feel strong enough, but I _know_ you are, and together we won’t be defeated.” He kissed his forehead, hands trembling. “I will take care of you. And I would leave you as soon as we succeed.” He pulled away, staring at Gabriel. “Quickly! Before he assumes control again!”

Gabriel shook his head, unable to vocalize anything through the sobs. Hearing Samael’s scheme, though, sent waves of terror over his very soul. He shook his head more, gripping the angel’s hands on either side of his face. 

“He _let_ me take control, Sam!” he cried, brokenly. “He’s trying to give us both hope before he tears it away. He did the same thing before he killed Cas. You think you could fight him off, but what if you couldn’t? I’ve already watched everyone I love die. Please don’t make me watch you die too.”

He took several steadying breaths. He couldn’t imagine a world _knowing_ Sam was dead. The benefit of the doubt he’d managed to live with was that somehow the angel had survived, and that was enough to carry him through the days. Watching him die and knowing it was his fault? He couldn’t live with that.

"Sam …. I would always say yes to you-”

He was cut off by Lucifer taking control once again. He rolled his eyes, looking up at his little brother. “Can you believe what I have to live with? Day in and day out, it’s constant ‘all my friends are dead’ and ‘you killed my brother’ and ‘blah blah blah’. Count your blessings, little brother, that your vessel is empty without you.”

Gabriel begged. He pleaded for Samael not to do it, and the archangel watched the agony ripple across his face. And then Lucifer took control, but not before Gabriel said it: ‘I would always say yes to you.’

_Yes_.

Samael well knew that there had been more to that sentence; that Gabriel was a breath away from denying him. But Lucifer had retaken control, and he hadn’t got the chance.

But he said ‘yes,’ and that was all Samael technically needed to possess him. He struggled a moment with the choice, weighing the pros and cons, and wondering if Gabriel would ever forgive him for this. But at least he would be free if Samael succeeded… and free to hate him for taking advantage of his misspoken words. 

As Lucifer finished speaking, Samael could not keep a grim expression from curling his lips. “Gabriel,” he said, looking deep within and hoping the human could hear him. “I know you are afraid, but you _must_ trust me.” He shook his head, this time turning his attention to Lucifer. “As for you, big brother, you’ll wish you had left him willingly.”

And all at once he was pouring himself into Gabriel, an endless flood of light and heat and presence. He could feel the massive strain of the body containing him—of both archangels. Gabriel’s body was crafted for one archangel, but never two. Samael would have to work fast, to hurry and help Gabriel eject Lucifer before the two warring archangels burned him out forever.

He found himself deep within Gabriel’s mind, standing upon a field of swaying, tall grass. It moved in waves with the wind, and the sun felt warm on his back. It looked like something he might have seen in Kansas once, just before a storm rolled in. Samael glanced around worriedly, desperately seeking his beloved. He _had_ to find him before Lucifer did, or…or….

“Gabriel!” he shouted, voice panicked. “Where are you?!”

Gabriel was locked away in his own mind. An elaborate cage put there by Lucifer. His only saving grace? This _was_ his mind. He had a limited sort of control over what happened. 

He heard Sam’s voice and he began shaking the bars of his cage. He gathered up all his energy and shouted out, only praying his angel could hear him.

“SAMAEL!”

How he hated that Sam had used that ‘yes’ to his advantage, but how he loved that he was so willing to risk everything to save him. It was one of the lies that had been fed to him for years. ‘No one will hear your screams.’ ‘No one is coming to save you.’ There was a small part of him that wondered if this wasn’t just another torture, but he had to hope. He had to believe there was one good turn left for him before he died.

Samael spun around in the sea of neverending grass, his heart leaping when he heard Gabriel’s shouts. He took off in a dead run, racing over the top of the hill to see Gabriel in a… cage?

“Gabriel!” he huffed, nearly out of breath as he almost collided with the metal bars. Holding out his hands and grasping the chilled steel, he pulled and ripped two of the bars apart, revealing an opening just wide enough for the human to squeeze through.

He reached for him, hands open, expression pained. “I know you must be angry with me, but you must come with me now before Lucifer arrives,” he pleaded. “Or neither of us will survive this.” He reached vainly, unable to make contact with the human unless Gabriel wished it. “I can help you, I can! But we must leave this cage _now_. Please, Gabriel… allow me to protect you…”

Gabriel stared at the angel, reflexively recoiling away from his outstretched hand. It had been a long few years, and if Samael thought Lucifer wouldn’t leave his mark on the human soul that gave him so much trouble, he was wrong. 

He was jumpy, twitchy, and distrustful that Samael was truly there to help him. This wasn’t the first time that face had come to his cage and said those words. He wanted so desperately for it to be true, but he’d had thousands of times previously to prove to him he was _very_ wrong in thinking this time was different.

Still, something compelled him to reach a burned hand toward the angel. He took Samael’s hand, almost lifeless golden eyes finally coming up to meet the other’s. He swallowed thickly, pulling himself closer to Sam. “He’ll let us get painfully close to escaping before he kills us,” he said. “It’s what he always does.”

A time once existed when Samael had not understood the term ‘heartbreak.' No matter how emotionally distraught a human may become, a heart would not stop from misery alone. And even if the illusion of sensation told them they felt pain within their chests, well, they merely misunderstood a flood of hormones and chemicals.

In recent years, Samael had become all too familiar with the term. And watching Gabriel recoil from him? His chest hurt so terribly he nearly lost his breath–and this was, for all intents and purposes, a creation of Gabriel’s mind. It was not physical.

It only felt worse when the angel saw the lifelessness in those once brilliant eyes, and the seared skin with finally reached for his. He noted Gabriel’s words. So, Lucifer had toyed with him… made him believe Samael had come to his rescue before.

Samael had to pause take a steadying breath. He could not afford the distraction, not at the moment, or Lucifer would eject him (or worse). And then Gabriel would be prisoner to this for all eternity.

No.

“I cannot convince you I am real,” he said, gently taking Gabriel’s hand and kissing the back of it. “But I am. And I shall do all within my power to protect you.” He wanted to heal him so badly, but he could not risk the flutter of Grace betraying their position. And for all Samael knew, Lucifer hid in the backdrop, toying with them both anyway.

With infinite care, he pulled Gabriel from his cage and swooped him up into his arms, and with a thought moved them somewhere else entirely within Gabriel’s mind. Samael hoped to throw Lucifer off their trail by moving frequently, but he did not know if it worked.

He sat down, this time in a dark wood deep in the night–perhaps a memory of one of Gabriel’s hunts? Who knew. Samael held the human close to him, murmuring gentle things into his ear.

“You are so strong, Gabriel,” he murmured, and kissed his temple. It took all his willpower to hold in his Grace; to not heal the soul he cradled within his hands. That would come soon, yes…. Samael tugged him closer. “I love you, Gabriel. I shall not let him have you a moment longer. I swear it.”

Real or not, Gabriel desperately needed to cling to this angel. He curled into the other’s embrace, barely able to choke back a sob. Try as he might, he was far too broken to contain himself any longer. He dissolved into tears.

“I wish I could take everything back,” he choked out. “I’m not strong. I couldn’t keep Cassie alive, and I gave in to Lucifer, and I … I lost you too. Sam, I’m not strong.”

He was terrified that this was another trick. He was so sure that this couldn’t be real, but he couldn’t stop himself from unloading like this. He wanted so much for Sam to really be there. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could survive without his angel.

Samael held Gabriel as he wept, his hand rubbing soothing circles upon his back. He listened quietly, allowing him to vent, occasionally pressing soft kisses to his hair.

“You _are_ strong,” Samael murmured, “and I shall prove it to you.” He bent his head, lips hovering a fraction of an inch away from Gabriel’s ear. “You said Lucifer would allow us to nearly escape before stopping us, but escape is not what I have in mind at all. This is _your_ body, and I would see it returned to you.”

Samael stroked his hair, his eyes scanning the dark shadows around them. Did Lucifer already know where they were, but was merely biding his time? Samael did not doubt it was possible. In either event, Lucifer would know of their location soon.

“You know all it takes is a ‘yes’ to possess a vessel, even one given… well, under less than informed circumstances. I took advantage of a ‘yes’ you said to enter your body, but I cannot remain long, not with Lucifer in here also, or the Grace of two archangels shall harm your soul.”

Samael held Gabriel closer, his hands gentle, his voice soft. “Here is the secret angels do not reveal: To cast an angel out, you only need to say ‘no.’ An angel may hold you down, cage you, force you into silence, but if you can utter the words ‘no’, ‘leave,’ ‘get out,’ or some variation thereof and _mean it_ , we are thrown from our vessels.” He paused, doing his best to ensure he had Gabriel’s attention. “And so long as you have control of your body _or_ your mind, you can utter a ‘no’ at any point. Both Lucifer _and_ myself will be thrown from your body… unless you _intend_ for me to remain in here, but… well, you should eject Lucifer at all costs. I do not know why you would wish for me to remain. It would be best to banish the both of us, just to be safe.”

He ran a hand through Gabriel’s hair, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. “I shall fight him. He _can_ overcome me, but not quickly, and you will regain control of your body in the interim. You shall easily be able to cast him— _both_ of us out. And for all your fears that you are not strong enough, you will not need your strength so long as I hold him back. He will be powerless to stop you for a time, and all you must do is revoke your consent.” He paused. “ _Quickly_.”

Samael felt a chill winding down his spine at the thought. He did not particularly care for being ejected from a vessel (it had happened once before, long ago), but to free Gabriel he would withstand the pain of it gladly. He could even wind himself ‘round his brother’s Grace and drag him away, lest he attempt to cause any damage to Gabriel on the way out… not that he could not do something similar from the inside, but….

Samael was weaker than Lucifer. Not only could he not hold him back for long during a challenge, but his older brother had the sheer power to wipe him from existence. And once free of Gabriel, Lucifer might give chase, and the two of them could be locked in a near-eternal battle of Grace, a battle in which there could be no victor without either possessing a vessel.

Samael’s own soulless vessel lay rotting in the sun, and likely had already sustained enough damage that he’d need to heal it—a task he could only accomplish within Gabriel’s body. And while he still had consent to use the empty vessel, it would do Samael no good to emerge and find it already dead. With the total destruction of humanity, Gabriel’s and Samael’s bodies may be the only living human bodies left. If Samael could not take refuge from his angry brother in his old vessel, his only other choice _was_ Gabriel.

No. His other choice was to keep Lucifer away from Gabriel, no matter the cost. His arms tightened around Gabriel.

Gabriel was on the verge of tearfully insisting that he didn’t have the strength to expel Lucifer from his body. He had tried before, more out of fear than any real need. He’d had nothing left in this world. His brother was dead, the angel he’d grown to love was gone, and the world was over. Humanity was over. What did he have left to protect?

His pleas were brought to a halt when he felt the familiar presence of Lucifer approaching. It all snapped into place. He _did_ have something left. He had Samael now. That’s all he needed, was one thing he could fight for. One reason to get out of bed in the morning. One cause. If nothing else, he _wouldn’t_ let Lucifer harm Sam. 

He placed his own broken and charred body between the two angels. It was the first time, longer than he could remember, that he’d truly stood up to the Devil. “Get out,” he growled.

Lucifer stopped in his tracks and laughed. “This song and dance again? Gabriel, I thought you would have grown weary of this two-step.” He grabbed the human’s soul by the hair and pushed him out of the way before turning to his younger brother. How _dare_ he intrude on his vessel?

Gabriel, in a moment of insanity or determination, swept Lucifer’s feet from under him. He stood and pressed a foot to the offending angel’s throat, positively _fuming._ “I said … Get. Out.”

Lucifer chuckled, a sickeningly sweet grin stretching across his face. “Without me, you’re going to die. Your soul is too damaged to last, and even if you _did_ survive my expulsion, the monsters will eat you alive.”

Gabriel, however wasn’t going to let himself be talked out of this. He put more weight down on the angel’s throat, taking full advantage of his own mind to keep the fallen angel where he was. “GO TO HELL.”

The rebel’s Grace exploded out from his vessel, an angered cry echoing in the mind he once inhabited. Gabriel, terrified that he would lose Samael again, clung to him. He wanted Sam to stay. He couldn’t lose him again. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing him when they’d already been apart for so long. 

Samael felt the approach of his older brother and steeled himself for the battle he knew would come. If they were both ejected from Gabriel, it might be neverending. If Gabriel could not muster the will to cast Lucifer from his body, then the battle would be far shorter… and Samael truly did not know what might happen to him. Lucifer might see fit to seal him within Gabriel’s mind for entertainment, or he might just smite him and be done with it.

But before he could respond to the threat, Gabriel vanished from his arms and stood defiantly before him. When he demanded Lucifer leave, it was in a tone that even made Samael’s grip on his mind tenuous. Predictably, his brother fought, tossing Gabriel aside with such force and malice it made the young archangel’s Grace boil with rage. As Lucifer turned towards him, Samael stood, ready to throw himself into battle.

Before he could do anything, Lucifer toppled to the ground, completely at Gabriel’s mercy. He demanded him to leave with such a fury Samael _almost_ was thrown out with him. Lucifer tried to drag him out, of that there could be no doubt. Samael groaned with the force of it, with the sheer drag and pull and tear of his brother trying to yank him along. Instead, Gabriel protected him, his soul more powerful than all the Grace of both archangels together as it surrounded him and held on.

With Lucifer gone, Samael found himself rising to the surface, fully possessing the body and soul which held on so tightly he wasn’t certain if he _could_ leave. He blinked Gabriel’s eyes. He could see the sky—and the angry, blinding swirl of Grace and light which was his brother.

All at once, Samael moved, lunging for his old vessel where it lay upon the ground. With a tap to its forehead, he put it into stasis and banished it to a pocket dimension where his brother could not reach it. And with a last glance up at his angry elder, he spread his wings and flew to a far-away corner of earth; somewhere the Croats and monsters could never reach them.

And so he sat, mindful of Gabriel’s comfort, and shut his eyes, using his already-thin Grace to begin to sew back together the frayed edges of the human’s body. Two archangels in one body had been too much of a strain. As for Gabriel’s soul, well, that would take more work. But Samael surrounded it with his Grace, doing his best to impress upon Gabriel how much he loved him. Everything the archangel had left he would give to this human. Everything.

“You protected me,” he said out loud, and—how unnatural it seemed to hear his voice come out of Gabriel’s throat. “Thank you. If you had not held on, he would have dragged me out by force.”

Samael slowly began to pull back on his Grace; to return total control to his human. He knew his Grace was bright and hot, and Gabriel had to feel bursting at the seams with his presence… but then, for all the archangel knew, he felt no different to Gabriel than Lucifer had. _That_ was a thought which troubled him heavily, and he pulled harder on his on his Grace, trying to shrink his true self even more, folding into a tiny corner of Gabriel’s mind. It was painful, but necessary. He could survive without damage this way, even with some discomfort. Returning Gabriel’s autonomy to him was more important to Samael.

After all he had done to keep Gabriel from Lucifer’s clutches, he felt hypocritical remaining in possession of him. But he was best healed this way. And it… felt nice; felt so _good_ to be so close to the soul he’d missed so fiercely. To the creature he loved more than his Father and all his brothers put together.

He could feel his cheeks heating, because there were no lies, not with a vessel awake and aware as Gabriel was. The hunter would hear his every passing thought.

“I promise you that I shall protect you. And I shall re-possess my old vessel as soon as you are fully healed.” He tried to cradle Gabriel in his Grace; to fill him with every wonderful thought he’d ever had about the hunter. “I will not take advantage, I swear it. Your body belongs to you, and I shall do all that you ask of me.”

He finally managed to relinquish total control, but remained fully aware and alert. The grass felt cool and dry beneath them, the air crisp and fresh against his beloved’s skin. _‘We will not be disturbed here. We are safe, beloved,’_ he told Gabriel, taking extreme care to keep his true voice tolerable and soft within Gabriel’s mind.

Gabriel’s soul clung to the Grace of the angel he’d been far too long without. He had come to rely so heavily on Samael for comfort, and he’d seen too many days in a world without him. He was almost afraid this wasn’t real. That this was another trick, and that terrified him. 

But the trick didn’t end. There was no painful reveal. There was no laughter in the back of his mind. There was only Samael. 

As soon as he was given control of his body, he moved his hands. He could feel grass under his feet. He could feel the wind on his face. Even on the rare occasions Lucifer would give him control, he was deprived of these senses. 

“All I will ever ask you to do is stay with me,” he said, feeling the angel’s Grace cradle him. “I don’t think I could stand it if you left me alone again.”

This was real. He really was free of Lucifer’s grasp. He fell to his knees, eyes tearing up in relief. He never thought he would see the day he would be alright with having an angel use him as a meatsuit, but Samael’s Grace was comforting. Perhaps _anything_ could be comforting after the hellish pain he felt with Lucifer inside him, but Samael felt like the sun on a warm day. 

Samael sat quietly, allowing his Grace to flow gentle and warm in response to Gabriel’s fears. He resolved to prove through patience and gentleness that he was, in fact, real. A brief rumble of anger at Lucifer rippled throughout his Grace. How dare he treat a vessel this way, much less Gabriel? If he’d had control of a body, he would have ground his teeth at the thought of it.

Reflexively, his Grace pulsed, tugging at Gabriel’s soul, surrounding it to keep it sheltered and safe. He would never allow harm to befall the hunter again. As Gabriel fell to his knees, he emerged from the tiny corner he’d folded himself into, allowing the human to feel his presence more fully.

_‘Everything I am is yours,’_ he said, keeping his voice soft as to not overwhelm Gabriel. _‘I shall never leave you again. I would rather die than leave you again.’_

Samael took a moment to appreciate the situation in which he found himself. He’d fought for years to return, but never once had he considered he might end up possessing Gabriel. There was no way for an angel to become closer to a human; no more beautiful, close method for bonding and brutal honesty. But he had always honored human autonomy, and knowing Gabriel as he did, he knew the human couldn’t enjoy having any angel inside of him, friendly or not. So Samael felt all the more guilty. And selfish.

_‘I must admit,’_ he murmured, his voice quiet and ashamed, _‘I do enjoy this. I have missed you so dearly, and to be so close to you now, it…’_ His voice trailed off, and he felt too embarrassed to continue. _‘But I promise you, I shall leave you when you are healed. If I were stronger, I… I would have already finished, but my many years of travel have left me weary. I am not stalling, I swear it.’_

It was important to Samael that Gabriel understood he had no intentions of taking advantage. Gabriel was a true vessel, and his body could hold Samael indefinitely, but he would never take away his human’s choice or privacy in such a way.

Suddenly self-conscious, Samael drew himself up into the tiny corner of Gabriel’s mind he’d made for himself, and went silent. He felt so ashamed of his many shortcomings, of his inability to instantaneously heal his beloved hunter, of how he’d returned far too late to make a difference. Gabriel had suffered greatly without him there, and Samael found himself wondering if the human might have been better off if they’d never met. 

But the truth was, Gabriel was glad Samael was there with him. He was glad Lucifer was gone. He knew it would take too long to heal, but that didn’t seem to matter. The angel that was sharing his body had given him control. That was all he could have hoped for at this point.

The two settled in one body, and for the first time in years, Gabriel found it in himself to fall asleep. Knowing Sam was there to protect him, he managed to sleep peacefully.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was based on an RP I was a part of a few years ago. I would credit my co-author if I was able to find them.


End file.
